[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ module_id=”larsson” _builder_version=”4.19.2″ _module_preset=”default” background_enable_color=”off” use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_direction=”90deg” background_color_gradient_stops=”#ee3647 0%|#e0e0e0 25%|#ffffff 75%” custom_padding=”29px||15px|||” bottom_divider_color=”rgba(251,186,116,0.66)” bottom_divider_height=”60px” bottom_divider_flip=”horizontal” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_5,3_5,1_5″ _builder_version=”4.19.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||15px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_5″ _builder_version=”4.19.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.19.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.19.2″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”Open Sans|300||on|||||” header_text_align=”center” header_text_color=”#000000″ header_font_size=”60px” header_letter_spacing=”2.7px” background_enable_color=”off” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”3%||3%||true|false” animation_direction=”left” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_5″ _builder_version=”4.19.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ module_id=”larsson” _builder_version=”4.19.2″ _module_preset=”default” background_enable_color=”off” use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_direction=”90deg” background_color_gradient_stops=”#ee3647 0%|#e0e0e0 25%|#ffffff 50%” custom_padding=”29px||15px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,2_3″ make_equal=”on” _builder_version=”4.19.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.19.2″ _module_preset=”default” background_enable_color=”off” use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_direction=”320deg” background_color_gradient_stops=”#ee3647 0%|#e0e0e0 25%|#ffffff 50%” border_color_all=”#192957″ border_width_bottom=”15px” border_color_bottom=”#ee3647″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/magazine.mcs.cmu.edu\/math\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/2022_lt_gen_daniels.png” alt=”photo of Gen. Jody J. Daniels” title_text=”Gen. Jody J. Daniels” align=”right” _builder_version=”4.19.3″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#E0E0E0″ max_width=”85%” animation_style=”zoom” border_width_bottom=”2px” border_color_bottom=”#E0E0E0″ box_shadow_style=”preset7″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.19.2″ _module_preset=”default” background_enable_color=”off” background_enable_image=”off” parallax=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.19.2″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”|||||on||#EAAA21|” header_text_color=”#000000″ header_font_size=”28px” header_line_height=”1.2em” header_3_font=”||on||||||” header_3_line_height=”1.2em” custom_padding=”|15px|||false|false” animation_style=”fold” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.19.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#000000″ background_enable_color=”off” custom_padding=”15px|15px|15px|15px|true|true” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Gen. Jody J. Daniels, a 1983 graduate of the Department of Mathematical Sciences, received an honorary doctor of science and technology at Carnegie Mellon’s 2022 Commencement.<\/p>\n
With over 38 years of active and reserve service, Daniels currently serves as chief of Army Reserve and commanding general of the U.S. Army Reserve Command.<\/p>\n
She leads a community-based force of more than 200,000 Soldiers and civilians with a footprint that encompasses all 50 states and five territories, and more than 23 countries across the globe. While serving in the US, Korea, Kosovo, Iraq and Germany, her principle military roles have been in intelligence, civil affairs and training. She has commanded at all levels and served on several strategic advisory boards.<\/p>\n
During her civilian career, Daniels served as the director of Advanced Programs for Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Technology Laboratories. Prior to that, she served as the director of the Contextual Systems Laboratory where she led 30 engineers in two software technology areas. Her principal areas of research are in artificial intelligence and information retrieval, including spoken language understanding, information extraction, case-based reasoning and human-computer interfaces.<\/p>\n
Her awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, three Legions of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, five Meritorious Service Medals, Joint Service Commendation Medal, four Army Commendation Medals, Combat Action Badge and Knowlton Award.<\/p>\n
\u25a0 Elizabeth Speed<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ module_id=”larsson” _builder_version=”4.19.2″ _module_preset=”default” background_enable_color=”off” use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_direction=”270deg” background_color_gradient_stops=”#ee3647 0%|#e0e0e0 15%|#ffffff 50%” custom_padding=”29px||15px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,2_3″ make_equal=”on” _builder_version=”4.19.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.19.2″ _module_preset=”default” background_enable_color=”off” use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_direction=”76deg” background_color_gradient_stops=”#ee3647 0%|#e0e0e0 35%|#ffffff 65%” border_color_all=”#192957″ border_width_bottom=”15px” border_color_bottom=”#ee3647″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/magazine.mcs.cmu.edu\/math\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/2022_connie_yang.png” alt=”photo of Connie Yang” title_text=”Connie Yang” align=”right” _builder_version=”4.19.3″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#E0E0E0″ max_width=”85%” animation_style=”zoom” border_width_bottom=”2px” border_color_bottom=”#E0E0E0″ box_shadow_style=”preset7″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.19.2″ _module_preset=”default” background_enable_color=”off” background_enable_image=”off” parallax=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.19.2″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”|||||on||#EAAA21|” header_text_color=”#000000″ header_font_size=”28px” header_line_height=”1.2em” header_3_font=”||on||||||” header_3_line_height=”1.2em” custom_padding=”|15px|||false|false” animation_style=”fold” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.19.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#000000″ background_enable_color=”off” custom_padding=”15px|15px|15px|15px|true|true” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Alumna Connie Yang\u2019s passion for math was evident at an early age. With math backgrounds of their own, her parents nurtured her love for the subject.<\/p>\n \u201cAs I actively sought out what my career aspirations could be, I came across the burgeoning field of data science,\u201d says Connie, who graduated in 2017 with a bachelor\u2019s degree in mathematical sciences with a focus on computational and applied mathematics.<\/p>\n \u201cMath and computer science are tools to solve problems, and it was exciting to think about the prospective applications of those tools to solve real-world problems,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Joining Microsoft after graduation, she worked on the company\u2019s core data science team on projects for products like Azure, HoloLens, Xbox, LinkedIn and more. While there, she developed clarity about the data science path she wanted to take, knowing she\u2019d eventually want to be a technical leader.<\/p>\n Last year, she joined Pallet as the New York City tech startup\u2019s lead data scientist. Pallet is an infrastructure product that enables users and companies to build their own native recruiting tools. With those tools, companies then can hire talent that hangs out natively in internet communities like Discord, Substack, Twitter, YouTube, Slack and various online newsletters.<\/p>\n At Pallet, Yang is engaging in a broad range of projects from data engineering to data science and machine learning engineering to data analytics.<\/p>\n \u201cI work with everyone across the company from engineering to marketing to operations, so I\u2019m also establishing a culture of when and where we should leverage data science to drive the most impact in the short and long term,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Yang is as committed to helping other women in STEM fields as she is about data science and math, particularly as she\u2019s seen firsthand the career challenges her mother faced as one of the pioneering women in computer science.<\/p>\n \u201cAlthough momentous strides have been made since my parents’ generation, there are still specific challenges and stigmas women face in the technical space, especially for women in leadership positions,\u201d Yang said.<\/p>\n Pulling from that experience, Yang co-founded the first Women in Data Science Community at Microsoft to nurture other women along this career path. The community, which grew to more than 800 members globally, was inspired by a CMU Student College (StuCo) class on female empowerment she and a friend co-taught their senior year.<\/p>\n Connie hopes to start a Women in Data Science community at Pallet as the company grows.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are definitely still gaps in representation, income, career trajectory and growth,\u201d Connie says. \u201cI definitely want to lead by example and help with bridging those gaps.\u201d<\/p>\n \u25a0 Hilary Daninhirsch<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ module_id=”larsson” _builder_version=”4.19.2″ _module_preset=”default” background_enable_color=”off” use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_direction=”90deg” background_color_gradient_stops=”#ee3647 0%|#e0e0e0 25%|#ffffff 50%” custom_padding=”29px||15px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,2_3″ make_equal=”on” _builder_version=”4.19.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.19.2″ _module_preset=”default” background_enable_color=”off” use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_direction=”320deg” background_color_gradient_stops=”#ee3647 0%|#e0e0e0 25%|#ffffff 50%” border_color_all=”#192957″ border_width_bottom=”15px” border_color_bottom=”#ee3647″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/magazine.mcs.cmu.edu\/math\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/2022_manil_suri.png” alt=”photo of Manil Suri” title_text=”Manil Suri” align=”right” _builder_version=”4.19.3″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#E0E0E0″ max_width=”85%” animation_style=”zoom” border_width_bottom=”2px” border_color_bottom=”#E0E0E0″ box_shadow_style=”preset7″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_divider color=”#ee3647″ divider_weight=”18px” _builder_version=”4.19.2″ _module_preset=”default” width=”6%” module_alignment=”right” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/magazine.mcs.cmu.edu\/math\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/2022_BigBangofNumbers.jpg” alt=”cover of the book The Big Bang of Numbers” title_text=”The Big Bang of Numbers” align=”right” _builder_version=”4.19.3″ _module_preset=”default” transform_rotate=”0deg|0deg|345deg” width=”60%” max_width=”85%” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”25px|15px|25px|15px|true|true” animation_style=”fold” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_color=”#000000″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.19.2″ _module_preset=”default” background_enable_color=”off” background_enable_image=”off” parallax=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.19.2″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”|||||on||#EAAA21|” header_text_color=”#000000″ header_font_size=”28px” header_line_height=”1.2em” header_3_font=”||on||||||” header_3_line_height=”1.2em” custom_padding=”|15px|||false|false” animation_style=”fold” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#000000″ background_enable_color=”off” custom_padding=”15px|15px|15px|15px|true|true” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]Author and mathematician Manil Suri has an orderly idea about the origins of the universe.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we start from nothing \u2014 no matter, no cosmos, not even empty space \u2014 could we create a universe using only math?\u201d<\/p>\n Suri wanted to be a writer around the same time he decided to be a mathematician.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re often told to concentrate on one thing,\u201d said Suri, who is a math professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. \u201cWriting was a way to get away from that.\u201d<\/p>\n He said his writing is like having a secret life; he started by joining writing groups and working on projects in his spare time.<\/p>\n His skills developed, and his debut novel, \u201cThe Death of Vishnu\u201d won multiple awards including the Barnes & Noble Discover Prize, the Pen-Gingham Award, McKittrick Prize (UK) and the Ralph Heyne Corrine Buchpreis (Germany). He followed this with two more novels, \u201cThe Age of Shiva\u201d and \u201cThe City of Devi.\u201d<\/p>\n His newest book, \u201cThe Big Bang of Numbers: How to Build the Universe Using Only Math,\u201d went through several iterations. The first was \u201cjust a quick project, spreading math to non-mathematicians,\u201d Suri said. But this was rejected by the publisher.<\/p>\n Next, Suri changed it to a fiction novel about mathematics. That too was rejected because, according to his publisher, \u201cno one would read math.\u201d<\/p>\n Finally, Suri asked himself, how he could interest non-mathematicians in math? When thinking about creation, Suri said he realized that physics and religion get all the credit for creation theories, and mathematicians don\u2019t really talk about such things.<\/p>\n \u201cYou could mimic creation out of numbers from nothing,\u201d Suri said, and he wondered just how far he could go with this line of thinking.<\/p>\n In the book\u2019s introduction, titled \u201cThe Pope Made Me Write this Book,\u201d Suri shares of a quote: \u201cMathematics has no emotional impact. What physicists do challenges people\u2019s notions of origin and creations. Math doesn\u2019t challenge any fundamental beliefs or what it means to be human.\u201d<\/p>\n This quote, attributed to former editor of \u201cThe New York Times\u201d Rob Fixmer, is an attempt to explain why math gets so little media attention. Suri is clear on his stance: \u201cthis picture of math is inaccurate.<\/p>\n \u201cI show how, if you change certain assumptions, you can get very different results,\u201d Suri said.<\/p>\n He gives the example of distance: Consider the measurement like a mathematician and one would calculate the exact distance between two points. But through the eyes of a taxi driver, the points wouldn\u2019t be in a perfectly straight line; they would zig and zag through the city. Two different views, leading to two different conclusions.<\/p>\n He also said that math can challenge our concepts of humanity.<\/p>\n \u201cAre we here because of chance or is it the result of some sort of volition? Is there something that\u2019s created us?\u201d Suri said. \u201cWith mathematics, you have the same question: Is math something that generates by itself and has always existed, or is it something that comes out of our own volition that we have discovered or created? That metaphor, especially in math, you can\u2019t decide which is true, much like the religious take on this subject.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Big Bang of Numbers\u201d invites readers on a journey through the creation of the universe. The story is split into seven \u2018days\u2019 (the comparison to religion here was not lost on Suri) for the universe to be created from math: Arithmetic, Geometry, Algebra, Patterns, Physics, Infinity and Emergence.<\/p>\n \u201cMath is a progression,\u201d he said. \u201cYou usually only see little bits mixed together; here you can really see how one is following from another.\u201d<\/p>\n While each day has its importance, Suri stated that Day 4 (Patterns) was his favorite to work on.<\/p>\n \u201cI talk about all the nice stuff that really shines through in mathematics,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s so rich in illustration to show the math and how math is translated into the universe.\u201d<\/p>\n While math books typically have few visuals beyond diagrams, Suri includes over 300 illustrations to help readers see how mathematics works.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you look at a mountain and see a curve, or you see a phenomenon and see the math behind it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n At the end of the day, he really wants to change the overall attitude toward math into a more favorable impression \u201cbecause that\u2019s what translates from generation to generation.\u201d He said he is especially keen on parents, teachers or others wanting to encourage an interest in math to find pieces that are appealing to share with others.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Big Bang of Numbers\u201d was published in the U.S. on Sept. 20, 2022, and in the United Kingdom, India and Australia on Oct. 27, 2022. It is available for purchase from multiple retailers and will be translated into multiple languages, including Korean and Chinese.<\/p>\n \u25a0 Tabbitha Gordon<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”#e0e0e0″ custom_margin=”0px|||||” custom_padding=”30px|0px|30px|0px|false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”0|0px|0|0px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_button button_url=”@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9saW5rX3VybF9wYWdlIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsicG9zdF9pZCI6IjIxODQifX0=@” button_text=”Research Feature” _builder_version=”4.19.2″ _dynamic_attributes=”button_url” custom_button=”on” button_text_color=”#00687f” button_border_width=”0px” button_font=”||||||||” button_icon=”#||divi||400″ button_icon_color=”#00687f” button_icon_placement=”left” button_on_hover=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” button_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off”][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_button button_url=”@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9saW5rX3VybF9wYWdlIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsicG9zdF9pZCI6IjIyMjMifX0=@” button_text=”Student Stories” button_alignment=”right” _builder_version=”4.19.2″ _dynamic_attributes=”button_url” custom_button=”on” button_text_color=”#00687f” button_border_width=”0px” button_font=”||||||||” button_icon=”$||divi||400″ button_icon_color=”#00687f” button_on_hover=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” button_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off”][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Alumni NewsMathematical sciences alumna Jody Daniels to receive honorary degreeGen. Jody J. Daniels, a 1983 graduate of the Department of Mathematical Sciences, received an honorary doctor of science and technology at Carnegie Mellon’s 2022 Commencement. With over 38 years of active and reserve service, Daniels currently serves as chief of Army Reserve and commanding general […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"parent":1992,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2162","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.mcs.cmu.edu\/math\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.mcs.cmu.edu\/math\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.mcs.cmu.edu\/math\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.mcs.cmu.edu\/math\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.mcs.cmu.edu\/math\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2162"}],"version-history":[{"count":33,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.mcs.cmu.edu\/math\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2162\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2784,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.mcs.cmu.edu\/math\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2162\/revisions\/2784"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.mcs.cmu.edu\/math\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1992"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.mcs.cmu.edu\/math\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Connie Yang’s math of change<\/h1>\n
Alumnus invites readers to contemplate universe via numbers<\/h1>\n